Elected for a Full Term, Ecuador’s Noboa Needs a Plan
In an election dominated by concerns about the rising threat of organized crime, Ecuador voted in current President Daniel Noboa…
Brazil’s ‘Anti-Oruam’ Bill Won’t Stop Crime Crooners
A new anti-crime bill in Brazil targets the son of a jailed Red Command gang leader who is using his…
Could US Deportations Compromise Trump Administration’s MS13 Crackdown?
The Trump administration’s decision to return a high-profile gang boss facing terrorism charges to El Salvador as part of a…
The Fragile Peace Behind and Beyond Prison Bars in Colombia’s Buenaventura
“Since I took over leadership of Marte, I have improved conditions for detainees,” says Silvio,* a mediator between inmates and…
How Organized Crime Set the Agenda for Ecuador’s Presidential Elections
Ecuador’s presidential candidates come from a wide ideological spectrum, but when it comes to organized crime, their campaigns – and…
Paraguay’s Endless Prison Crisis
Paraguay’s penitentiary system remains in a state of emergency for a second year, yet without measures to tackle the root…
GameChangers 2024: Ecuador Finds Victory Elusive in ‘War on Gangs’
Ecuador became the latest Latin American nation to turn to a militarized response to combat organized crime in 2024. But…
The Prison Mafias: Ecuador’s Criminal Axis
Organized crime in Ecuador today operates on several levels. At the upper echelons are the drug traffickers who control Ecuador’s…
The Evolution of Ecuador’s Prison Crisis
Over the last five years, Ecuador has been engulfed in violence and a criminal chaos unprecedented in its modern history.…
Ecuador’s Prison Business
The moment a person enters Ecuador’s prison system, they become a resource to be exploited by organized crime and corrupt…